Challenging China: Smart Strategies for Dealing with China in the Xi Jinping Era

by Sam Kaplan

An insightful and thought-provoking guide to understanding China's growing global influence—and how democracies can respond.

China's rise has transformed global politics, economics and security, reshaping international relationships in ways that will define the decades ahead. In Challenging China, longtime China policy expert Sam Kaplan examines how China's increasing authoritarianism, expanding global ambitions and evolving relationship with the United States present one of the world's most significant geopolitical challenges.

Drawing on more than thirty years of experience in China policy and international trade, Kaplan explores the political, economic and cultural forces driving China's rise while offering practical, realistic strategies for engaging with the country without sacrificing democratic values or national interests. Written in an accessible, engaging style with references ranging from Dolly Parton and Bruce Springsteen to LeBron James, this book makes complex international issues understandable for general readers.

Topics Xi Jinping's consolidation of power and the changing direction of China's governmentChina's expanding military, economic and diplomatic influence around the worldThe future of Taiwan, Hong Kong and regional security in the Indo-PacificHuman rights, censorship and increasing government controlThe complex economic relationship between China, the United States and its alliesTechnology, trade, supply chains and global competitionClimate change and other areas where international cooperation remains essentialPractical strategies for responding to China's rise while avoiding unnecessary conflictRather than arguing for confrontation or disengagement, Kaplan proposes a balanced approach that protects democratic interests while encouraging constructive engagement wherever possible. Challenging China is an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand one of the defining geopolitical issues of the twenty-first century.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Politics

226 pages, Hardcover

Published April 20, 2021

Reviews

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout his book, the author kept on calling for China’s liberalisation that one could be forgiven for thinking that China today is still stuck in the Cultural Revolution era where everyone is still dressed in the same dour grey coat uniform. For anyone who has travelled in recent times to China, this could not have been further from the truth. As mentioned even by the author himself, China has successfully lifted 850 million of her people from extreme poverty since 1979. For a nation that has been characterised by chaotic dynastic transitions over the past 4,000 odd years, China is currently enjoying arguably the most prosperous and stable time (at least) in her recent history. And yet, the author is asking for China to abandon all these so that she can be liberalised? It is also so convenient for the author to argue that the call to democratise is for the benefits of the people in China and that CCP is the real enemy, not the the Chinese people. The liberalisation of Iraq didn’t go very well, did it?

The last time China was minding her own business some 150 years ago, the West pushed to her shores, forced wars upon her, fed her people with opium, burned down the Summer Palace and forcefully asked for cities and ports to be ceded to them. And yet the author is speaking about fair trade practices today. It is also very convenient for the author to just claim that China is the biggest emitter of CO2 since 2006, but what about the carbon that were emitted to the atmosphere from the time of Industrial Revolution?

China will have her own issues just as all the other countries will as well. It is just so unhelpful for the author to keep claiming that the US-led way is the only way forward. In Chapter 6 - “Again, it is natural for a new global power to want to have more influence on the world’s organisations. This would be fine if China were a liberal democracy. But it is not.” This is akin to saying “yes, you can do anything you want, but just make sure it is my way, because my way is the only way”.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book on China, with particular focus on trade relationships, foreign policy, and details on things like their own internal strategies.

I found it fairly interesting.

Would recommend if interested in China politics.

4.3/5

[jellynnnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. Kaplan gives us his thought on US and China relations by his perspectives and experiences. His experiences explained another insight about China and US behaviors. A nice book to understand US-China relations from time to time.

[Kevin]

Insightful, interesting, challenging to some of my thinking. Pretty even handed in the approach

[WiseB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Built on western free world's point of view, the author has revealed in the first six chapters the negative behaviours of China based on his experience and research which were recapped in Chapter 7 as being authoritarian, repressive, censoring free speech, human right abuses, closed economic market etc. At the end, the author proposed how to deal with China, from a US perspective, in certain problematic areas ... including human rights, lack of rule of law trading, closed market, Taiwan, and espionage. It is also these proposed methods by the author that I refute and how my rating derived.

There are many books written on China in recent years, mostly by US authors, pointing out the wrongdoings with various recommendations to correct or counter China's way of acting both internally and externally. So far, I do not believe those will work ... the gap of understanding each other is still there because the two world's largest countries each have their own ideology, political principle, ethnical culture and values.

Basic concepts in western culture like human rights are interpreted differently in China as not universal but dispensable for the good of the country, which is generally acceptable by people in China (except the victims) ... individual sacrifice is unavoidable. Legitimacy of the government of China (basically the CCP) is also different from those under democracy governments, which is the reason for tight censorship (including external information from the free world) in order that CCP directives will not be questioned ... also acceptable by people in China as justified by the good outcomes ... like improvements in infrastructure, education, economy, living standard etc, from its authoritarian government. Bear in mind that these Chinese characteristics have been treated as the success factors for China to advance in the last two decades. As for the ethnical culture change compared to 50 years ago, a lot of work has been done by CCP to brainwash the people (including minority ethnic groups) ... via education, internal propaganda for nationalism, strict control on anti-government ideas & remarks. As for subsidized trading and market access issues, it is just the kind of terms China can play to get the best deal for the country, which any other country can use in a competitive business world to play smart if the rule-of-law is not tight enough.

The US and other western countries should note that they have their faults to blame ... the liberalism and capitalism society they value has nurtured uncontrollable greed in organizations, corporations and individuals who will trade their country's security and interest for their own benefits. Hence, so-called forced technology transfer, commercial spying etc are just consequences of such mentality.

[Drew · Rating 1 out of 5]

China apologist for the majority of the book. Advocated the same mistake made by the US under Nixon. China will never liberalize and is only concerned about survival of the CCP. A few decent ideas about countering China, but the entire premise of China is not working all avenues to surpass the US, and will do anything to achieve that goal, is misguided.
Much better book if you know it is more geared towards China perspective than the US.

[Blake Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took 3 years to finish this book. Stopped right at chapter 7 and 8.

Turns out chapter 7 and 8 were really the only ones I needed to read.

[Ernest F · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much Trump bashing, not enough China info.